QOTSA/NIN
17.03.2014
Two dark giants of the musical world graced Brisbane on the seventeenth of March. The Brisbane Entertainment Centre was their last stop before marching their massive double-headed monster into New Zealand. Having this notion cognitively in their twisted minds, Queens of The Stone Age and Nine Inch Nails tore through two mammoth set lists.
As most in attendance knew, our viewing itinerary for this evening was at the discretion of a coin toss, and Queens came up trumps.
Chomping at the bit (starting before the house lights fully dimed), Nine Inch Nails made it obvious they had no plans on taking it easy, opening furiously with ‘A Warm Place’ off Downward Spiral. Throughout the performance Trent Reznor let the cathartic properties of his music take over, gyrating back and forth like a mechanical praying mantis. At the end of ‘Terrible Lie’ Trent launched his guitar six meters in the air (with his biceps this should of been no drama), haphazardly letting it smash to the ground.
Nine Inch Nails reached predominately into their back catalogue playing only ‘Disappointed’ and ‘Copy of A’ from Hesitation Marks. A choice revered by the audience at large.
‘Copy of A’ merged into ‘The Great Destroyer’ via an arachnid hive of lasers and smoke. The dystopian visuals seeped into the speakers and bombarded us with a cacophony of glitch-based horror that could only have manifested itself within the recess of Reznor’s mind, transforming the stage into a portal for a futuristic industrial revolution.
I cannot commend Reznor’s commitment and passion in his deliverance. Even the encored ‘Hurt’, which he must have performed a thousand times, was executed with upmost vigor and intensity, inducing a respectful silence upon the crowd. The drone of Nine Inch Nail’s instruments finally subsided and the sterile house lights flicked on, waking everyone from the last two hours of dystopian electronica.
Cue Queens of the Stone Age, stage right.
Everything Josh Homme does exudes a sexual cheekiness, adorning a large grin and casually partaking in a half lap of the stage before making it to the microphone for the onscreen count down to, ‘You Think I Ain’t Worth A Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire’.
Homme’s bad boy persona got the better as his inebriated state reared its head on ‘If I Had A Tail’, slurring his vocal delivery. Doing his best James Dean and smoking a cigarette Josh then introduced the rest of the band, jesting with Troy Van Leeuwen about nonchalant alcoholism.
Midway through ‘Make it Wit Chu’ Homme silenced the other members on stage with a wave of his hand, wanting the “hear the crowd sing” “and now just the ladies!”. Hey, what about the fellas, Josh?
But it wasn’t all fun and games, Mr Homme stamped his authority over the entire stadium, scolding security mid song ordering them to “let the kids do what they fucking well want” proclaiming that “If you want to get on somebodies shoulders then do it! This is a Queens of the Stone Age concert”. In his following sentence he then gave the all power back to the crowd, “you paid for your tickets man, it’s your show”.
“Now let’s get fucking loose, chorus.”
The lights dimed and Homme went back to sauntering across the stage like a seven-foot vulture, eyeing out his many devout pray. The evening was concluded with a ballistic rendition of ‘Song For The Dead’, John Theodore (literally) pulverizing his kit to pieces.
Despite their imposing demeanors, both Josh Homme and Trent Reznor made an entire stadium of people feel grateful for being in their presence. They even made the wonderful car park logistic of the BEC bearable. In a radio interview with Triple J, both musicians stated they were trying ‘to mix things up’ and ‘keep us on our toes’. That they did, on our toes with our fists in the air, horns raised. One can only hope this co-headliner idea catches on with more international and local touring bands. If so, then well played gentleman, well played.
Photography and words by Thomas Oliver
For the full photo gallery head to: www.somethingfromthescene.com/blog/nin-qotsa
